CHICOPEE – The City Council has approved spending about $460,000 to replace water pipes under 29 streets in the Willimansett section, some of which are more than 100 years old.

The pipes are to be replaced at the same time the joint sewage and storm drainage pipes under the same streets are separated into two pipes to meet federal Environmental Protection Agency mandates that the city stop dumping sewage into the rivers.

Faced with multiple water main breaks over the past few years, city officials have been pushing to replace aging water pipes at the same time roads are being torn up to separate sewer pipes.

Earlier this month the Board of Water Commissioners voted to transfer some of its surplus to a special account to pay for the improvements. The City Council approved the spending in a 13-0 vote this week.

“It will save us from having to dig up the streets again and hopefully we will save some water,” Councilor James K. Tillotson said.

In a previous debate about replacing water meters, the City Council was told the city is being billed for about 100 million gallons of water a year more that registers on residential and commercial meters. Tillotson questioned if some of that water lost is due to old and leaking pipes along with poorly-functioning meters.

In looking at the list of pipes, Tillotson noted pipes under Charpentier, Catherine and Westview streets are 103 years old while those under Skeele and Fair streets are 98 years old. There are no records for the age of the pipes which are under 13 of the streets.

This is the second time this month that the City Council has been asked to approve funding to replace water pipes. In its Oct. 1 meeting it approved spending $200,000 from a special Water Department account for engineering fees to replace pipes during the separation project in the Aldenville area and off Montgomery and Sheridan streets.

“It is costly but I think it makes sense to do it all at the same time when we have the roads torn up,” Tillotson said before the council voted 12-0 to approve the funding.